A Tart in the Kitchen

Whole Wheat Bread Experiments

2011-10-12T17:44:00.001-07:00

Experimenting with recipes is something I love do to, but it often stems from the fact I don't have all the right ingredients on hand. I'm impulsive and don't always want to go out to the store so I just go for it. I just got this awesome recipe for whole wheat bread. And true to form I tweaked it.

I had 2 cups of whole wheat flour; almost enough for one loaf. I also had whole wheat pastry flour which isn't good for bread...but I decide to go for it anyway. I subbed out the pastry flour for that last cup. During the four (!) rises, I was very impressed with the dough. It's light and soft and totally out of control with the rise. It baked wonderfully in my pyrex bread dish.

This bread took me 15 minutes of prep time and I did it in my stand mixer. I even left it to rise in there as well; when it was done kneading I just plopped a towel over the top. I set timers at all the punchdown intervals so I could go about my business and not worry about which rise I was on.

100% Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Bread

Author: Bob’s Red Mill

Makes 2 Loaves (26 slices).

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup Warm Water (110 degrees)

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Honey

1-1/2 tsp Sea Salt

3 Tbsp Oil*

1-3/4 cups Warm Water (110 degrees)

6 cups Stone-Ground Whole Wheat Flour

Instructions

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to proof 3-5 minutes.

Combine next 4 ingredients and add to yeast mixture.

Stir in flour, mix well. Knead 10 minutes. Let rise 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Punch down. Let rise 40-60 minutes until doubled.

Punch down and let rise a third time until doubled.

Shape into 2 loaves *start your oven now* and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 45 minutes.

Notes

Optional: If you like sesame seeds or poppy seeds, roll dough on damp towel and in seeds before putting in pans. I put a pan of water in the rack below the oven to help form the crust.

* Regarding the oil: The original recipe calls simply for “Vegetable Oil,” but most vegetable oils are highly processed. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil, Butter, or Peanut Oil may all be good options. I used coconut.

Super easy cinnamon buns. Like, for beginners.

2011-09-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

This Brioche dough takes 5 minutes to make. I mix it up in a tupperware container (and don't seal the lid, just set it on top). I do this after dinner then just before bed throw it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it takes a few minutes to roll out the dough, sprinkle it with sugar, and pop it in the oven.

This is enough dough for 48 teeny cinnamon buns!

3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 tablespoon granulated yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey (mmm, bees!)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, eggs honey and melted butter with the water in a 3-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container. Dump in the flour and mix it up with a spoon (I use a silicon spatula) until all of the flour is incorporated.

Cover (not airtight), and allow to sit at room temperature for about two hours. Throw it in the fridge.

In the morning, for a dozen teeny cinnamon buns, pull out a 1/4 of the dough and roll it out. It should be about 1/4″ thick and as rectangular as you can manage. Sprinkle on a generous amount of brown sugar(about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Make sure you get right to the edges, but leave a 1/2″ along one of the long edges. Roll the dough into a log starting at the long edge. Seal the log by pinching the dough along the seam.

Stretch the dough until it is just thicker than a broom stick.

Snip off 3/4″ discs with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Place in a well greased mini-muffin tin. Let rise for about 45 minutes, meanwhile preheat your oven to 350°.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan immediately before the caramel hardens!

For photos of the technique, go to the Artisan Bread in Five website.

Maple bacon chocolate toffee

2011-09-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

Yup, you read that right. I made this after the hubby came home with the recipe from a coworker. It was adapted from this recipe.

I made 1/2 a batch and stirred in a scant 1/4 cup chocolate chips at the very end after it was spread out onto the silpat. Mine looks much butterier than the one on Foodie with Family, I'm not sure why. I can tell you it doesn't affect the taste! Man this is RICH stuff...very very addicting. Probably excellent on ice cream. I'll have to check that out since the summer weather seems to be happening now that it's the END of SePTEmBer. Sheesh.

Lamb Barley Stew (Slow Cooker style)

2011-09-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to doing some fall-style meals and this one really hit the spot.

1 lb lamb stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, large dice
1 leek, sliced
3 garlic cloves, smashed and sliced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5-6 sprigs fresh snipped thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 14oz carton broth/stock
2/3 C barley

Turn on the slow cooker to pre-heat. Heat half the oil in a large frypan, and cook half the lamb for 4-5 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Put this in the slow cooker bowl. Heat the remaining oil, brown the remaining lamb and add that to the slow cooker bowl too.

Put the frypan back on a medium heat, and gently cook the onion, leek, garlic, carrot, and celery for a few minutes until onion softens. Stir in the seasonings & herbs. Cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Dump this all into the slow cooker, add the tomato paste, barley*, and stock and stir. Put the lid on and cook for four hours on HIGH, or six hours on LOW**.

*Next time I would add barley halfway through, or cook it separately. I feel it overcooks this way and it's not bad, just a personal taste thing.

**Slow cooker time will vary; mine was finished after cooking on LOW for 5 hours.

Southern Biscuits for Breakfast

2011-09-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm working on my biscuit recipe these days. I've made them several times with different recipes and flours. I found one I like by Alton Brown, but I still think there is too much liquid. I also had been fighting with what to cut them with, and exactly how thick to make the dough before cutting. I had been using a thin glass which wasn't cutting nicely. I rooted around a bag of antique cutters from my grandmother and BINGO! I found a biscuit cutter! I think this was an important tool missing from my process.

Anyway, this morning I made them into a breakfast sandwich which was inspired by this cover of LA Magazine. I chilled the biscuit ingredients separately overnight and put them together in the morning to bake. Made the Nueske's bacon, sliced Tillamook cheddar, fried eggs from the Culver City Farmer's market (cooked in the bacon grease of course), and oozed local honey over the whole shebang. I sandwiched all this between my homemade biscuit and consumed. Yum.

Yogurt Pumpernickel Bread

2011-06-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

This bread came out quite nicely; I was really worried about it when I didn't see it rise much during the first rise. Also the instructions say to add the flour last which is not the way I've learned to make bread. I cut the recipe in half and just made one loaf and we have been enjoying it with breakfast and as an afternoon snack. Its not too dense, has a nice tang and tons of flavor.

(Original recipe from "French Cooking, Lewis R. French")
(Makes two loaves)

2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp brown sugar
1 C warm water (100 degrees)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 C bran
1C whole wheat flour
2 C plain yogurt (I used greek and let it come to room temp)
1/4 C butter, melted
3-4 C AP flour (I used even less)

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, and yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa, salt, bran, whole wheat flour, and rye flour. Add the yogurt, butter, and then the yeast mixture. Beat hard for about one minute. Add AP flour until a soft dough forms. Keep adding until slightly tacky and springs back when touched. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double. (I preheat my oven to 200, turn it off, and let it rise in there).

3. Spray two loaf pans with nonstick spray; you can also shape it round and bake on a greased cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form loaves and let rise again while oven preheats.

4. Bake about 30-40 minutes.

Superbowl Sugar cookies

2011-02-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Had fun making these Saturday for the Superbowl. I baked the sugar cookies in the afternoon and then let them cool completely (about 3 hours) and decorated them into the night. This is the first time I really attempted to decorate pro-style using all my tips, tricks, tools, sprinkles, and color. It was fun! I found the football themed cookie cutter shapes at Gloria's in Culver City and used the recipe on the back. Instead of making the royal icing with egg whites, I picked up meringue powder which made the whole process super quick and easy!

Recipe for Roll-Out Cookies

1 C butter, softened

1 1/2 C superfine white baker's sugar (granulated)

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 3/4 C all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. In mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick. Dip cookie cutter in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

*EASY* Royal Icing (from Marthastewart.com)

Makes 2 1/3 cups

1 box confectioners' sugar (1 pound)

5 tablespoons meringue powder

scant 1/2 c water

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder. Mixing on low speed, add a scant 1/2 cup water. For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.

Last but most importantly, the TECHNIQUE! Thank you to the brown eyed baker for the detailed photo piece on this that made it fun and approachable. I picked up squeeze bottles (6 pack for $4 at Surfas) and they were the best investment of all the tools I used. Holding them was easy, the tip was exactly the right size for outlining and drawing designs, and I had plenty for edging and flooding colors for my project, although I did use my piping kit just to experiment.

Cranberry (or Blueberry!) Banana Bread

2011-01-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

This is a dense, rich, sweet quick bread. I have made it with superfine white sugar and All Purpose flour which also comes out nicely.

1/4 C butter, softened
1/2 C succanat
2 eggs
2 small bananas, sliced
1 C cranberries or blueberries
1/4 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 C oat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Add in the banana slices, the cranberries, the water and the vanilla extract. Mix again until blended, but not too much - leave good chunks of fruit.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients into the batter, and mix until just combined -- do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 55 min or until the top of the cake is nicely brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let rest for ten minutes, then run a knife around to loosen the sides and turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Heart Healthy - a change

2011-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

I make a lot of bread around here...pizza, naan, no knead, and regular sandwich bread. But I need to start eating more whole grains and fish to keep an eye on my health as father time ticks away. I've joined the JanuaryRules challenge because this fit with my goals. I am looking forward to reading the posts from the community of cooks and learn about new foods and recipes!

Meanwhile, today I made a simple salad of roasted sweet potato (I cheated and zapped it in the microwave), quinoa, and dried blueberries. The dressing was EVOO, balsamic, honey, curry powder, and sunflower seeds. Yum!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

For New Year's eve dinner we made pizzas. I made the 8-hour pizza dough from Cook's Illustrated and then topped with various yummy cheese, veggies, and other fun stuff.

Pizza Sauce:

2-3 large cloves garlic , minced/pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large (28oz) can crushed tomatoes*
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes

Glug of red wine (about 1/4 cup)

coarse salt and ground black pepper

*I get the Muir Glen brand and this one "crushed tomatoes with basil". It has to be "crushed", not diced or other kinds or else it's got too much water content.

Empty the can of tomatoes into a blender or food processor and give them a quick blend - you still want texture (I go for about 7 seconds in the VitaMix on medium). Heat garlic with oil in saucepan over medium heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, add tomatoes along with everything else. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thick enough to mound on spoon, about 15 minutes. I made it about 2 hours before we ate so it had time to sit around and soak up the goodness.

Makes enough for 4 large pizzas (depending on how much sauce you use).

Pumpkin Chip Cookies - Take 2

2010-10-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Okay after fussing around a bit with the original recipe, as well as making several mistakes, I have decided this is the way to go. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chip Cookies (makes 3 dozen)
8 oz canned pumpkin
1 tsp soda
2 tsp powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 C flour
1 C turbinado sugar
1 egg
1/2 C unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
6oz chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper or silpats.

Cream butter and sugar (I do this for a few minutes to make sure it's gotten air whipped in and looks creamy). Add in eggs and vanilla. Add in pumpkin.

In another large bowl whisk together soda, powder, salt, spices, and flour. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet. Stir in chocolate chips. These are a very WET cookie and the dough is not similar to a chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough.

Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet and bake 14 minutes. They will feel very slightly soft to the touch when they are done. Remove them with a spatula and cool on wire racks.

Parchment Fish Dinner

2010-10-07T20:57:00.001-07:00

Made this tonight because I was short on time. 10 minutes prep time, 20 minutes cook time. Good for weeknight meals and super healthy. Make one fish pack per person.

Pick any fish you like:
I used 1 small fillet of black cod.

Add any vegetables you like:
I had some carrots so I julienned them (they need to be cut thinly so they will cook well).

Add any herbs you like:
Fresh is best, but all I had was dry so I used thyme and dill.

I also squeezed half a leftover lemon, salt and pepper. Fold it up across the top, long-ways, then roll and crease the sides to stay shut. Put it on a cookie sheet in a 375 oven for 15-20 minutes.

I made some wilted spinach on the stove as a side. Take a bunch of fresh washed spinach. Don't worry if it's dried well, even better if it's not. Throw "too much" into a lidded frying pan (make a mountain out of it) and put the lid on. Put your stove on low and let it do it's thing for about 5 minutes. The leaves will sweat and wilt and you will have a tiny little pile of yummyness when it's done. You could add garlic or salt if you like.

I found leftover kale when I was fishing out the spinach, so I stuffed that into a bowl and worked the oil in to make kale chips after the fish comes out.

An Excuse to Bake

2010-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Not like I ever really need a reason to bake, but I love taking requests for events! I made two of my favorites for a friend's baby shower this weekend; "Overnight" Pecan Sticky buns and Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars.

The sticky buns are a TON of work in terms of time - you really have to plan it out to figure the time it takes to mix then wait for the rise, prep the rolls, make the filling, and chill 14 hours in the fridge. And the next morning there is the rise, bake, cool, flip, and pecan topping to think about. But as much work as they are, they are one of the most satisfying things to make because I love working with dough. There are few feelings in the world like kneading brioche. The bars are very simple and straight forward, even easier than a cookie since no shaping is needed. Just make sure you have an 8x8" pan so they are nice and thick; I've tried them in a 9x9" pan and they get dry. Enjoy!

Coddled Egg

2010-08-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love coddled, baked, or poached eggs; they are my most favorite way to eat them. In this case I mixed prosciutto, brie, bell pepper, tomato, salt and pepper into a ramekin. Drop it into a roasting pan filled with water and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

A little dinner for Bastille Day

2010-07-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Just baked some no-knead bread. I had gone to the farmer's market yesterday for tomato and basil. So combine that with some nice spicy red wine and fresh mozzarella and that's a nice light summer dinner.

It was just an apple

2010-07-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

I was craving an apple this afternoon but then it got out of control.

I chopped up a Gala apple. Then added dried cranberries, dried cherries, some candied ginger and corn starch. I tossed that in a bowl and set it aside. I greased a small baking dish and spooned the fruit in.

In my mini-prep I put 1/4 cup of oats, 1/8 cup of wheat flour, 1 tbsp of muscovado sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I added 1 tbsp of chopped up butter and pulsed until it looked like cornmeal. Over the fruit and into the oven.

Now I just have to wait 30 minutes more for that apple.

Strawberry Banana Cream Pie(s)

2010-06-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

Made these for hubby's birthday yesterday. Got the recipe from here. Instead of making one big pie, I got mini Dufour shells (chocolate) from Surfas. I made the custard, sliced up bananas and strawberries, and assembled it with my frosting kit (piping the custard and cream rather than spooning). They were super yummy and people liked being able to eat more than one...

Lunch(?) at Eclipse Chocolat

2010-06-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

I had to drive to San Diego on an errand and it just so happens that my current favorite chocolate place is there: Eclipse Chocolat. This is the s'mores platter. Chili chocolate brownie, espresso brownie. Both topped with a housemade marshmallow on top. Served with lavendar sea salt and blood orange olive oil fondue (in the cup). My brain totally exploded. I took most of it to go along with a couple orders of "dry soda", truffles, and an aztec cinnamon roll. If you ever have a chance to be in SD, I recommend you make a stop. If you live in LA I know you can get their amazing sea salt caramel collection at Curious Palate (that is if I haven't already been there and wiped them out).

Brunch with Friends

2010-05-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Had some friends and their mom here for brunch and this is what we made:

Pecan Sticky Buns (Overnight Sticky Buns from Cook's Illustrated)
Veggie Frittata (also from Cook's)
Potatoes (you guessed it, Cook's)
Fruit Salad

We were in a food coma but man it was good!

Pretzels

2010-04-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I waited this long to try these. So easy, so fun, SO DELICIOUS. They are my finest bread yet. Got the recipe from the Food Network.

From start to finish they take about 1.5 hours and only about 10 minutes of hands-on time. Making the dough takes 5 minutes, then it rises for an hour or so. Shaping is quick, boil for 30 seconds, then bake for 14 minutes. Make sure you stick the ends down well when you shape them or you'll end up with a snake instead of a pretzel in your boiling water (you can stick it back together before you bake). The first time around I didn't have Kosher salt so I just used sea salt which turned out fine. If you don't have a stand mixer with dough hook just mix it with a metal spoon. The dough is buttery and much easier to work with than traditional bread dough which is sticky. Rather than oiling the surface to roll out the dough, I spray Vegalene (Pam imparts an undesirable flavor).

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

2010-02-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

MMM. These chocolate chip peanut butter bars are a fine bar! They have a ton of flavor and texture and I just love them. I made these for a housewarming party this afternoon...

Lobster Risotto & Caprese Salad

2010-02-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

So I finally got to cook a meal at home - just been working too much to do it lately. Our good friend came over and brought fixings for the caprese salad. The angelo & franco mozzarella (ciliegine with cream) cheese blew my mind!!! We opened a bottle of 2006 Domaine de la Charbonniere Vacqueyras. OH MY - very likely some of the best wine I've had. (Thanks Accidental Wine!) I found this description and it's perfect: "Dark purple. Smoky blackberry, kirsch and licorice on the seductively aromatic nose. Deep and sweet on the palate, offering well-delineated dark fruit liqueur flavors, chewy tannins and a bright jolt of cracked pepper." (Josh Raynolds)

We sipped on this while I made the lobster risotto.

It was a damn fine evening.

Split Pea Soup

2010-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Been working too much and missing slow food. Tonight I whipped up a batch of my split pea soup after work for the next few days. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 ham hocks (I get them in the frozen section) or a big ham bone
3 C dried split peas
10 C chicken broth (or water)
--
2 carrots
1/2 yellow onion
1 celery stalk
2 garlic cloves (or shallot for milder, sweeter flavor)
2-3 thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
*salt & pepper at the end

INSTRUCTIONS

Throw the first three ingredients into a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hr.

Remove the ham bone/hocks and remove the meat from the bone. Add it back into the pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer 35 minutes, then remove from heat and add in the salt & pepper. Serve with cheesy bread (sliced french bread with grated parmesan and garlic salt, broiled in the oven).

100% Whole Wheat Bread

2009-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

I needed a small job done here at the house and a friend offered for trade of a home-made 100% whole wheat loaf. I've never made one that didn't include white flour to some extent, and I scoured my cookbooks for some leads. Nothing in my library, but I have a few trusted sources for recipes online. I use King Arthur flour exclusively (after testing I found it to be the best tasting and performing) so it made sense to look on their site first. Voila!

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2008/04/16/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-searching-for-the-perfect-loaf/

Complete with photos! I made mine in the breadmaker instead of the stand mixer. I added two extra tablespoons of water since it's dry from the winter heater on. I let it do the first rise in there then did the second rise in the pan. It only took 40 minutes to get a good 3" over the top (oops - this was too high! good thing I checked on it halfway through).

I use a glass loaf pan which was a gift from my mother-in-law and it generally cooks quite evenly and quickly. However I think the over-rising extended my cooking time; half of the loaf was outside the pan!

Overall I'm really pleased and will be making this again.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Los Rios Chocolate)

2009-09-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

The chocolate rocks, the recipe, not so much. These are a very buttery cookie, they require rest for 2 hours before baking, and they melt down quite a bit during the baking. The result is a flat, rich, crispy cookie that dries out quickly.

12.5 oz butter
9 oz sugar
9 oz brown sugar
2 eggs
19 oz flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vanilla
12.5 oz chocolate chips

1. Cream together butter, & sugars.
2. Add eggs, scrape well.
3. Add flour, soda, vanilla, then chocolate chips.

4. Let rest 2 hours.

5. Bake at 325 for 20-25 min.

Summer Dinner

2009-09-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Some friends came over for dinner and I put this menu together from The Summer House Cookbook. I was trying to find things that took little-to-no prep time and would allow for everyone to help. Even one friend who didn't cook did a mash-up job on the guacamole! This is what I chose:

French Potato Salad
Baked black cod
Grilled fruit (peach, nectarine, plum) as fish topping
Guacamole with blue corn chips
Berries with fresh whipped cream for dessert (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

First, I chopped up all the guacamole fixings and threw them into a bowl for mashing. Our guac was 4 tiny organic avocados, 1 shallot (finely minced), 1 garlic clove (through the press), 1 tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper, and several tiny tomatoes from the garden.

The cod fillets were rubbed with salt and pepper (no oil; this is a very oily fish), placed on a rack and thrown into the oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

The fruit was sliced into halves, tossed with olive oil and grilled for 10 minutes. Then I sliced them into quarters and tossed with 2 tsp balsamic to serve as a topping for the fish.

The potato salad was a little more time-consuming than anticipated. Steaming that many potatoes takes at least 25-30 minutes. Then they have to cool for 10 minutes. The dressing is a two part build mixing a champagne vinaigrette with the mustard. We all ended up loving the potatoes though; they were well worth the extra time!

I made the biscuits from Cooks Illustrated but they totally fell flat and dry (what?!) so I should have just done the berries alone. Ah well.

Pork Fried Rice

2009-09-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've been on a bit of a pork fried rice trip lately. I recently thawed out a hunk of Smithfield ham I had saved and I'm using it in everything. Fried rice is a comfort food, easy to make, and you can put just about anything in it. Last night I made it with a twist: Forbidden Rice. This stuff smells so amazing; it has a sweet, nutty aroma and only takes 10 minutes longer to cook. It has amazing health benefits as well as being extra tasty so I think this will be the standard for our rice from now on!

This can be served as a main course; put any leftovers you have into it! Also makes an excellent side to teriyaki chicken.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 ½ tablespoons peanut oil
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
8 ounces small shrimp (I used frozen shrimp)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup carrot, ½" dice
8 ounces smoked ham cut into ½" cubes
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups cooked rice, cold

1/2 ounce dried mushrooms (I had cremini, but you can use shiitake)

5 medium scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin (about ½ cup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1 cup hot tap water. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid, trim stems, and slice into 1/4-inch strips.

2. Combine oyster sauce and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside.

3. Heat 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add 1 ½ teaspoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add eggs and cook without stirring, until they just begin to set, about 20 seconds, then scramble and break into small pieces with wooden spoon; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until eggs are cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer eggs to small bowl and set aside.

4. Return skillet to medium heat and heat until hot; add 1 ½ teaspoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque and just cooked through. Transfer to bowl with eggs and set aside. If using frozen shrimp, dump out excess water from pan.

5. Return skillet to burner, increase heat to high, and heat skillet until hot; add remaining 2 ½ tablespoons oil and swirl to coat pan bottom. Add carrots and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add peas, mushrooms, and ham; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture; cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, shrimp, bean sprouts, and scallions; cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Saturday at Surfas

2009-08-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

I scootered over to Surfas for a "Republica del Cacao Chocolate Magic Demo" this afternoon. From the ad:

"Join us in the Test Kitchen at Surfas as we welcome Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Jean-Marc Viallet. Using Republica del Cacao chocolate, Chef Viallet will reveal the magic of working with this often tricky substance. For many home bakers, chocolate can be as fickle as it is delicious. For Professional chefs, they can experience the challenges daily; “One drop of water and the chocolate is dead” says Viallet."

On the menu:
-Chocolate Gelato
-Lavender Creme Brulee
-Chocolate Financier Tea Cake
-Raspberry Chocolate Ganache
-Chocolate Cookies with single origin chocolate drops, from Ecuador (made into sandwiches using the ganache!!)

Of course, we got plenty to taste as well!

Before I left I got a shaved ice to beat the heat. They served them up with Monin flavored syrups in exotic; “knock your flop-flops” off flavors. I got black cherry and mango...wow!

-------
Lavender Creme Brulee

Let infuse fresh or dried lavender flowers overnight in 4 cups of heavy cream.
Whisk 8 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, 5 oz sugar in a bowl.
Bring the cream to a slow boil, temper the yolks mixture.
Cook slowly then mix in 10 oz of chocolate "Los Rios".
Mix well, pass through a thieve, spoon into pre-prepared chocolate tart shells immediately.
Cool in the fridge for a few hours, then sprinkle tops with unrefined cane sugar for torching.

Pasta Alla Norma

2009-08-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I made this dish the other night using tomatoes from the garden and an eggplant from the farmer's market. Yowza!

Pasta Alla Norma
(for 2)

1 large eggplant cut into ½-inch cubes
Kosher salt
1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves pressed through garlic press
2 anchovy fillets , minced (about 1 generous teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ lb fettuccine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces grated parmesan

1. Toss eggplant with 1 tsp kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon regular salt) in medium bowl. Line surface of large microwave-safe plate with a paper towel and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread eggplant in even layer over towel; wipe out and reserve bowl. Microwave eggplant on high, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, about 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that eggplant cooks evenly. Let cool slightly.

2. Transfer eggplant to now-empty bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and toss gently to coat; reserve plate. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add eggplant and distribute in even layer. Cook, stirring or tossing every 1½ to 2 minutes, until well browned and fully tender, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer eggplant to now-empty plate and set aside.

3. Add remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes to now-empty but still-hot skillet and cook using residual heat so garlic doesn’t burn, stirring constantly, until fragrant and garlic becomes pale golden, about 1 minute (if skillet is too cool to cook mixture, set it over medium heat). Add tomatoes, return skillet to burner over medium-high heat, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

5. While pasta is cooking, return eggplant to skillet with tomatoes and gently stir to incorporate. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring gently occasionally, until eggplant is heated through and flavors are blended, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir basil and extra-virgin olive oil into sauce; season to taste with salt. Add sauce to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta cooking water so that sauce coats pasta. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmesan.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars: FAIL

2009-08-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

It's a Martha Stewart recipe! How can it fail?!

I tried to make these for my newly retired neighbor who always brings us salsa. This afternoon I followed the recipe for what I thought would be one of the best bars yet. Instead of using foil, I buttered up a special pan that is designed to come apart after baking. There is a "fake bottom" to the pan and it just lifts out while the sides drop down. It never fails me. As I completed phase one I knew something was off; the bottom of the brownie wasn't cooking up right. There were bubbles and it wasn't pulling away from the sides. I cooked it all the way through but it just didn't look right.

However, I carried on to phase two: the coconut topping. When these were done the top came apart from the bottom, the bottom was chewy, and nothing lifted nicely apart from the pan.

My downfall was likely not using the foil. I also used an 8" pan instead of a 9" pan. However, I'm not attempting these again - they didn't taste good.

You're welcome to try Black Bottom Coconut bars by reading the recipe here.

Rösti

2009-08-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

We have recently discovered Rösti and we're totally freaking out over here.

At Surfas' BACON DEMO last week (Chef Amy Jurist proves that everything is better with bacon. Watch as she performs culinary magic with bacon "the Candy of Meat".) We drooled over the yummy treats that were prepared before our eyes. I was frantically writing lists of new tools for the kitchen and products to try (Vegalene, pre-cut parchment paper, Thai peanut sauce...on BACON). One of the recipes made used this potato in a foil bag called Rösti. They sold it there and I picked up a couple. It's just boiled potatoes but it's so yummy and easy to prepare. You open the bag and fry (no oil needed!) for 15 minutes, then flip and fry 6 more. That's it.

Tonight for dinner I prepared a bag with the rest of the prosciutto and some melted cheese. OMG. The taste of this dish took us back overseas...the potatoes tasted so different than what we have here. Must be the water...

Dining Al Fresco featuring the new table

2009-08-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

al⋅fres⋅co
[al-fres-koh]
–adverb
out-of-doors; in the open air: to dine alfresco.

We arrived home from a week away to an empty refrigerator and a full bounty in the garden. While we were away, our new pergola was stained with "fresh brew" and our patio furniture from Room & Board arrived this morning. This afternoon we went to "Entertaining with Bacon" at Surfas and picked up some 8oz martini glasses (finally a normal size!). Cupboard staples of olive oil, garlic, capers, parmesan, and angel hair pasta combined nicely with basil and two kinds of tomatoes from the garden. That along with Chianti and the sunset, and our new patio table is at home.

Pickles!

2009-07-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

I harvested cucumbers and dill from the earthbox garden for making my first attempt at pickles from this guy's recipe. Wish me luck!

My Secret Weapon: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

People seem to like these a lot. I think they're my best cookie; they're certainly a favorite around this house. I've just made them for my family's BBQ this weekend so I hope they enjoy them as much as we do!

Here it is, the finely-honed, often baked, supremely tested masterpiece of my cookie world.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Renee Tymn

1/2 C flour (King Arthur)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 C superfine baker's sugar

1/2 C brown sugar (sometimes I use muscavado, but usually light brown is fine)

1 egg

1/2 C butter (Land O'Lakes)

1 tsp vanilla (madagascar)

1 C peanut butter (brands make a HUGE difference here...I use Jiff)

1 C quick oats

1 Tbsp honey (another surprise in flavors here...nobody can quite figure it out!)

6 oz chocolate chips (don't skimp here either...none of that tollhouse crap. Ghirardelli is my fave.)

Measure the flour and soda into a small bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the bowl if necessary. Add the peanut butter and honey and mix until combined. Add the quick oats and chocolate chips and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 and move a rack to the upper third of the oven. At this point I line a baking sheet with a silpat. I use a melon baller to measure out small scoops, up to 12 to a sheet. Then I roll them each ball in my palm to smooth, slightly smash the tops with my fingers, and pop them into the oven.

Bake for 13 minutes, a single sheet at a time. Let cool on the sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. I get 40 cookies out of this!

French Country Potato Salad

2009-06-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

Another hit from the "Summer House" cookbook! This turned out awesome...I made teriyaki chicken to go with it for dinner. Fast, easy, and delicious. You can also find the recipe online at the foodnetwork.com.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2009-06-06T16:30:00.001-07:00

I was recently given a book called "The Summer House Cookbook", which I'm really enjoying. The whole point of the book is simple recipes that don't require any special equipment or ingredients so you can make them in your "summer" or "vacation" house (wouldn't that be nice?!) Anyway, I've made several simple recipes and they've turned out well. Today I made the Lemon Blueberry Muffins. I have to say, I'm not super impressed with them. Although they were easy, they just don't have a great flavor. I did forget to sprinkle the tops with "sugar in the raw" before baking which may or may not have made them much better. They are a good, simple muffin though. I think I just prefer the richness of butter creamed with sugar in my baked goods. I did like how easy these were though - no special equipment needed! I just used a wooden spoon to do the mixing.

Peach Shortcake

2009-06-05T11:06:00.001-07:00

I love peaches. Ripe, slightly soft, sweet smelling peaches. I look forward to them in cobblers, mostly. However I was browsing my new online subscription of Cook's Illustrated and found a recipe for a Peach Shortcake. All my taste-bud-alarms went off and I just had to make it. I wasn't disappointed and this could be my new favorite way to have peaches! This dessert is not too sweet, and I love the addition of the peach-schnapps crushed peaches that soaks into the shortcake underneath the sugared peaches on top.

*Recipe from Cooks Illustrated (I'm not sure I have the rights to reprint here and I'm not taking any chances!)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-05-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

I recently got a subscription to Cook's Illustrated Magazine. What *took* me so long? It's like I've been living in the dark ages. Anyway, while I wait for the mailman to start delivery I picked up the current issue in the store. I was riveted; so much pertinent information! I have already made the 15 minute spaghetti sauce (yum!!) and read the review of pan sets.

Today I baked the "Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies" for a party. They are quite an undertaking; browning butter, whisking and waiting, baking and turning halfway through. Wow. And at the end of it all you do have a truly amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie, but it's just that. A perfect. Boring. Cookie.

I guess I've moved on to more complicated things. I prefer my Chocolate Chip/Peanut Butter/Oatmeal or my Peanut Butter cookie to these any day, and they are *way* less complicated to prepare. However, I did learn some cool new techniques which I may apply to my experiments in the future!

Curtis' Crumbed Chicken Breasts

2009-05-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Okay these are a fabulous take on the standard Chicken Cordon Bleu. They are from "Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone" and the recipe is called Crumbed Chicken Breasts. We used prosciutto & sliced swiss from the deli, didn't fry (just baked) and it was awesome. Served with Israeli couscous and wilted spinach.

Lemon Slice Bars

2009-04-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Incredible. Thanks for the Donna Hay book oh, so many years ago Todd!

Recipe by Donna Hay

1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cups plain flour
120g butter
1 tablespoon milk
topping
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour
2/3 cup cream
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind
3/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 330 degrees. Process the sugar, flour, butter and milk in a food processor until the mixer comes together. Press into a 9x12 (I used 8x8 since I like them thick) tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown.

To make the topping, whisk together the cornflour and 2 tablespoons of the cream until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the remaining cream, then the eggs, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice. Place in a saucepan over low heat and cook, whisking for 6 mins or until mixture thickens slightly. Pour over the base and bake for 5 mins or until the topping is just set. Cool in the tin. Cut into slices. Makes 24 slices.

After it's all set, sprinkle with powdered sugar!

Pan-Glazed Fish with Citrus and Soy

2009-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been missing fish in my diet and I needed an opportunity to check out Santa Monica Seafood in the new location. I headed out to gape in awe at the selection of fresh fish, bread, and *oysters* at the oyster bar at this unique so-cal fish store. I chose a nice oily black cod for the dish tonight. The recipe was initially given to me by my family but I also found it online at epicurious.com

It turned out fantastic and was really easy to make. I did sides of amaranth (our favorite grainy side dish that has forever replaced rice) and steamed green beans from a frozen Trader Joe's bag. For those of you who haven't tried amaranth, I highly recommend it. It tastes nutty and has a consistency similar to cream of wheat. It is prepared similarly to rice - start with cold water and bring it to a boil with the grain in the pot, simmer for 20 minutes. It's so yummy! I also discovered you can pop it just like popcorn. You can add it to salad dressing or have it for breakfast. The Aztecs used it to make beer. You can add it to bread or cookies. It's really healthy too - high in iron and protein, it has three times the calcium of milk.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Needed to bake tonight. I had this recipe and hadn't tested it yet. Its okay, nothing special. The cookies are moist and bake out flat to a substantial, textured cookie. I didn't use reduced-fat sour cream either. I probably wouldn't make it again but the reviews on the Cooking Light website are pretty mixed.

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3/4 cup regular oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Place sugar, butter, and sour cream in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until blended. Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until edges of cookies are browned. Cool on pan 5 minutes. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

Sticky Buns

2009-04-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Now *these* are sticky buns! I was reading a entry on a friend's Facebook page about how she made sweetbread in her bread machine...and I had never thought of using it for that. I've made plenty of dough for pizza and lots of bread over the years, but for some reason that use never occurred to me. Well it works pretty damn well. Recipe to follow...

Grandma T's Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-04-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday I had to work for a few hours, but then we went to our friend's house to celebrate. I had just enough time to pop these into the oven to bring with us.

This is certainly the most baked cookie in our house, and X's favorite (besides the Guinness Brownies). They are dense, peanut-buttery, and not too sweet.

Makes 24

1/2 C CRISCO
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1C peanut butter
1 1/2C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Crisco, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg & vanilla. Add peanut butter. Beat until blended.

2. Sift together flour, soda, & salt. Blend into creamed mixture.

3. Roll into small balls about the size of a walnut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fork to flatten (but not too hard).

4. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Remove to cooling rack.

Pork Loin Gone Wrong

2009-04-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a friend's mention of a slow cooked pork loin and wanted to make it at home. I had written down some of the ingredients, but since we had been *ahem* drinking when this occurred, I'm sure I got it wrong. So I Googled, found what I thought was it, and made it. I should have just called. The recipe I made was totally different, and I managed to mess it up. It was for a pork loin with cranberries. Many of my slow cooker recipes say "7-8 hours on low, 5-6 hours on high". This one did not. But I only had 6 hours, so I cooked it on high. Mistake. I caramelized the fruit and destroyed the pork. Maybe I'll try again since it really looked good.

Meanwhile I've called my friend and gotten the correct recipe for her "ginger spiced pork rub".

Below is what I made and messed up. And this photo is not what mine looked like!

Pork Loin with Cranberries

1 1 can whole berry sauce
1/2 C quartered dried apricots
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/4 C fresh OJ
1 shallot, chopped
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 lb boneless pork loin roast
snipped chives

1. Mix cranberry sauce, apricots, orange peel and juice, shallot, vinegar, mustard, salt, and ginger in 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Add pork and spoon some of cranberry mixture on top. Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until pork is tender.

2. Remove pork to cutting board. Spoon off any fat from top of cranberry mixture in slow cooker. Slice pork into 6 thick slices. Serve topped with sauce. Garnish with chives, if desired.

$5 Brownies

2009-04-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I had these awesome brownies at New Year's and managed to get a hold of the recipe. These are incredibly rich, chocolatey, and over-the-top. I did a little twist and put caramel and sea salt on a couple. Yowza. I only made a half recipe. And I cooked it 10 minutes longer than this says.

If you want a brownie that will thoroughly kick your ass, these are it. (caramel & sea salt at your own risk!)

3 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz fine quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 eggs
1 1/4 C cake flour (not self rising)
1 C plus 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch process)
3 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

2. Melt butter with chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and whisk in eggs, 1 at a time.

3. Sift together flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and stir into batter with sugar and salt. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and a tester inserted into center comes out with crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours, before cutting into 20 squares.

Experiment

2009-03-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is sort of new territory for me - the cupcake. I don't make them. However, I do make the Guinness Brownie, so this is just a twist on that.

I've made the brownies for years now but I'm still fighting with the texture and baking times along with the materials of pan (glass vs. metal). After many variations I've nailed down the ingredient brands to our taste. So I make them a lot and we enjoy them.

The other day I was cruising through Surfas and broke down and purchased a silicone cupcake pan. Tonight I made cupcakes using the recipe in that. I've been using silpats for years for cookies so I suppose it's a natural progression. What's really new is designing this as a "half" recipe. I have no idea the baking time, how much to fill them, how long to cook them, etc. I had so much batter with even a half recipe that I had enough to make 12 cupcakes. I filled some high and some low and cooked it for 4 minutes longer than I expected and I still don't think I cooked them long enough (the trouble with the other recipe!) but we'll see. At least I didn't waste as many ingredients in the process.

And I have lots of extra Guinness to enjoy in the can while they bake!

Pork & Apples

2009-02-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight we headed to P's house and made a meal of slow cooked pork butt with dried apple rings and dumplings. It wasn't bad and was about the easiest thing I've ever made. We made baked apples for dessert - a warm winter meal!

A break from the kitchen

2009-02-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

We took a little trip up to Portland this past weekend and dined at some great places. We discovered some of the best pizza outside NYC at Ken's Artisan Pizza, enjoyed a great breakfast at Mother's, hit our favorite brewpub, and discovered a Sanborn's - a brunch spot with some of the best chocolate presspot coffee I've ever had. On the last night in town we went to our friend's sketch comedy and afterwards he took us to a great tapas place on Alberta St called Lolo's. All I can say is *WOW* and *YUM*!!! As usual, we can't wait to go back.

Lemon Cheese

2009-02-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight a bunch of us got together for cheese-making fun at our friend's place. One friend made Irish soda bread while we hung out and watched from the bar stools on the other side (the kitchen space allows one person working at a time). Once that was in the oven we started tonight's recipe: "lemon cheese". It took a few hours, and the general process was to pour milk, lipase, and lemon juice into a huge pot, letting it come to temp and curdle, then strain it through cheesecloth for an hour. It comes out looking like ricotta or very soft cottage cheese. It went great with the warm soda bread!

Slow Cooker: Dublin Coddle

2009-02-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

"The Gourmet Slow Cooker" was from a gift cookbook I got for Christmas from Dad. This was the first recipe I've made from it. The sausages turned out moist and flavorful, and overall this is a great dish. But we're still blown away by the Boston Baked Beans at this point!

Dublin Coddle
Serves 6

Dublin Coddle is true Irish comfort food: no fancy sauces, and none of the spices found in hotter regions. Yet every Dublin pub and every Dublin mum has a version of it. It sounds simple--just bacon, sausage, potatoes, onions, carrots and water or hard cider--but the flavors meld together into a delicious stew. Note: This dish is an exception to the better-the-day-after rule. I like it hot out of the pot. (I made a half recipe, see notes in parenthesis)

4 slices lean bacon (I used 2 slices cut into 4 short strips)
1 1/2 pounds pork sausages (6-8 sausages) (I used 3)
2 yellow onions, sliced (I used 1)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced (I used 1 large baking potato)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (I sadly forgot to pick these up at the store and therefore were omitted)
1 cup water, hard cider, chicken stock or beer (I used hard cider)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry for 7 minutes, or until crisp. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Add the sausages to the pan and cook, turning frequently, for 10 minutes, or until browned. Using tongs, transfer to a plate. Drain any excess fat from the pan. (I left the fat in!!!!)

Add the onions to the pan and saute', stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Spread half of the onions in a layer in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place half of the potatoes in a layer on top of the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the strips of bacon over the potatoes. Lay the sausages over the bacon. Spread the carrots over the sausages and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the remaining onions over the carrots and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add the water/stout/cider. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the vegetables are very tender.

Transfer to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

To Drink: Harp Lager or Newcastle Brown Ale.

Boston Baked Beans with Pancetta and Irish Soda Bread

2009-02-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

I love slow food. And bacon. And nothing compares to beans steeped in bacon for hours and hours. YUM. I made this and some Irish soda bread to feed us for the next few days. Got the bean recipe from my standby coffee table book "Heritage of America" (Better Homes and Gardens). I highly recommend you pick up a copy!

----

Boston Baked Beans with Pancetta

While Boston gets the credit for this dish, it was actually popular throughout the colonies. Since it could be made a day ahead, it was a favorite with those whose religion restricted work on the Sabbath. For a more traditional dish, use salt pork instead of pancetta or bacon.

Makes 10-12 servings

1 lb dry navy beans OR dry great northern beans (2 1/3 Cups) (I used northern)

8 cups cold water

6 oz pancetta (Italian bacon) or bacon, cut up

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cooked crisp and drained (optional)

Rinse beans. In a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven combine beans and cold water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (OR, skip boiling the water and soak beans overnight in a covered pan.) Drain and rinse beans.

In the same pan combine beans and 8 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 1/4 hours or till tender, stirring occasionally. Drain beans, reserving liquid. In the same pan, cook the 6 oz pancetta or bacon until slightly crisp. Add onion to bacon and drippings; cook and stir till tender. Add brown sugar. Cook and stir till sugar dissolves. Stir in molasses, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Add drained beans and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid (*KEEP THE REST OF THE LIQUID FOR BAKING). If desired, transfer to a bean pot.

Cover and bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 1/4 o 2 1/2 hours or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add additional reserved bean liquid*. If desired, sprinkle with cooked pancetta or bacon before serving.

Bûche de Noël

2008-12-25T23:28:00.000-08:00

This Yule Log Cake is a traditional dessert served during the holidays in France. I made one a few years ago from "Julia and Jaques Cooking at Home" which was as roulade; a flourless chocolate cake filled with cream, rolled up and dusted with sugar. Simple. But this year I found another by Jaques that was three pages long, an official Bûche de Noël and I had to make it. First I made a custard so it could chill during the other steps. I made a white sheet cake, let that cool, then made the pieces for meringue mushrooms (stems and tops dusted with powdered cocoa) which took 2 hours in the oven. Then I made the cream filling and folded in the custard. Before I spread this on the cake I basted the cake with rum and water, then carefully rolled it up. I made the buttercream frosting next, and melted chocolate to fold into it. I frosted the cake and then prepared the mushrooms. I cut off the bases, melted chocolate and popped on the caps to set. I set them around cake and put it in the fridge to chill while we played some boggle.

It took me 5 hours from start to finish and was the hardest thing I've ever made.

I'm glad I did it, it came out great and tasted yummy... but I don't need to do that again!

(Recipe from Jaques Pepin)

Christmas Feast

2008-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

What a fabulous meal! A meal that almost wasn't, for so many reasons. I'm so glad we moved back from NYC to continue this tradition here together with our family.

But the other reason this almost wasn't....the ham. Last time we got the Smithfield Ham online, but this year I found them sold at Pavillions. However when I went to pick one up they were sold out! I went to four different stores before I secured the "last one"...whew!!! I hugged the ham AND the butcher and sauntered off to my car with a grin on my face, relieved that the holiday dinner was saved.

There is simply no substitute for a Smithfield Ham (unless you made Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding, ahem). Anyway, this dinner rocked. Ham, cranberry ginger chutney, cranberry bread, no knead bread, summer squash from dad's garden, spinach salad, and parmesan smashed potatoes. YUM! Best of all every last bit of it was made by us! Everyone was in the kitchen cooking together. I'm so blessed to have a big enough space and a family so gifted. I love you guys.

(Recipes from Barefoot Contessa (Potatoes), Smithfield (Ham), NY Times (No Knead Bread), Murina (Chutney) then adapted from this, Mom (Cranberry Bread), Dad (Squash), and ourselves (Spinach Salad--see earlier post).

Chocolate Guinness Brownies, Holiday Style

2008-12-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

These are our favorite brownies. I've made them dozens of times over the years and experimented with different Guinness (bottle vs can) as well as lots of different brands of chocolate. We like them best with Ghirardelli chocolate ( I buy the 60% cacao Ghirardelli chips along with the white chocolate chips). I use King Arthur flour and Land O'Lakes butter in all my recipes.

This is not like other brownie batters; it looks totally normal until the last minute when you "whisk in the Guinness" and turns the whole batter to a chocolate-liquid-soup. In my experience the 8" pan and the 25 minutes in the oven combination doesn't work; the center doesn't cook all the way through even with baking up to 40 minutes. I've tried making them in a 9x12 pan and baking only 20 minutes but they aren't as moist inside. I'll experiment with them in cupcake form soon.

We also prefer them with non-whipped cream cheese frosting because it cuts the bitter chocolate nicely and looks like the head on a Guinness! This particular version has a few peppermint candies sprinkled on top. And another hint is to make them a day ahead of time because they taste *way* better the next day!

(I discovered this recipe for Grace Neill's Chocolate and Guinness Brownies inside Chocolatier Magazine, then found it online at npr.org --along with some fabulous looking Irish fare!)

Making Cheese

2008-12-14T23:44:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a friend's place and made manchego cheese. It was SO much fun! It is a very precise artform, much more than I've experienced with baking. We brought the milk up to 86 degrees and had a thermometer to keep it hovering there while we added the starters, lipase and rennet. Then we had to raise the temperature 2 degrees every five minutes to another measure point. There was a lot of stirring, then we cut the curds, did more stirring, then strained the whey out through cheesecloth (my first actual application of CHEESE CLOTH) and put the curds into a press. After pressing at a certain amount of weight for the prescribed time, we flipped the curds (now in a tubular form) and pressed them again. At the end it gets an oil bath overnight.

The whole process took about 6 hours with us having to do something every 5-30 minutes at first (during the pressing we had time to eat dinner and watch a movie). We didn't get to eat the one we made but instead (food show style) he popped a chunck of homemeade colby out of the fridge and we tasted that. I was in HEAVEN. YUM! We boiled up the leftover whey and made ricotta and then gobbled that right up still warm out of the pan.

This was a truly unique experience and I can't wait to do it again! There is another acquaintance who makes beer and bread. We're having a party very soon :)

Chicken Pot Pie, again!

2008-12-10T23:57:00.000-08:00

I made this again and this time with a friend. It's so friggin yummy!!

(Recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Pumpkin Chip Cookies

2008-12-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Now before you cringe and say, eeew pumpkin, you really must try these. They are like nothing you've had, and no other cookie recipe I make is anywhere close to the texture and unique flavor of these yummy morsels.

(Recipe from Melissa Moiha)

Pumpkin Chip Cookies (*makes 6 dozen*)

1 large (29oz) can pumpkin

2 tsp soda

4 tsp powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

4 C flour

2 C sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp milk

1 C unsalted butter (hers called for vegetable oil but this is a no-no in my book)

2 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add in pumpkin. In a large bowl combine soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, flour and I use a whisk to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 14 minutes. These are a very WET cookie and the dough is not similar to a chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough.

Char Siu Pork Roast

2008-12-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is one I like to make in the slow cooker. I make about 1.5 lbs of pork and that with some steamed rice, snow peas, and carrots lasts us two nights. Yum! I got the recipe from Cooking Light magazine, a special one they had just for slow cooker recipes.

Grandma's Persimmon Pudding

2008-12-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago my grandma gave me the recipe for her holiday Persimmon Pudding (with rum hard sauce, which she stresses can't be done without). This dish is more of a bread pudding, moist and deliciously fruity. When I was visiting the family a couple weekends ago, they gave me a batch of persimmon pulp they made from their tree. Today was an awesome foggy fall day, and between that and the frozen persimmon waiting in the freezer that was all the prompting I needed to stay inside and bake. This is a really spicy batter and I loved the way it smelled in the bowl, and loved it even more coming out of the oven. It's a really straight-forward recipe, the only prep I needed to do was chop the dates (they are apparently available pre-chopped). Oh, and to "plump" the raisins in rum...easy! I made two small loaves in paper "tins", and I was surprised to see all the BUTTER that had pooled up between the pans and the cookie sheet they were baked on. I'm letting them cool now and they should be ready for their hard sauce for tonight's dessert.

*Unfortunately I can't find this recipe* :(

Baking for tomorrow

2008-11-29T18:52:00.001-08:00

Today was a lot of fun - I got up early and walked Bean, then headed to the various stores for my ingredients. I made two recipes from the "Land O' Lakes Holiday Cookies" magazine, both of which turned out beautifully. Chai Birch Logs, and Lemon Pecan Snowdrops. Both have a unique flavor and lots of spices. I was attempting to make a cookie that wasn't centered around chocolate but also wasn't a traditional sugar cookie. I'm certainly adding these to my cookbook.

Lemon Pecan Snowdrops (Prep time: 45 min | Yields 3 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

1/2 C sugar

2 C flour

2/3 C pecans, finely chopped

1 T grated lemon peel (from your tree!)

Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 T butter, softened

1 T light corn syrup

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 T grated lemon peel

1 - 3 T milk (probably closer to 1)

Topping:

Coarse grain white sugar or colored sprinkles

Heat oven to 325. Combine 1 C butter and sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low, add flour, pecans, and lemon peel. Beat until dough forms.

Shape into 1" balls (the smaller the better to keep them from spreading too much). Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute then remove to rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine all ingredients *except* milk in a small bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding enough milk for desired dipping consistency.

Dip tops of cooled cookies into glaze; shake off excess glaze. Place onto waxed paper. Sprinkle tops with sugar and let stand until glaze is set (about 1 hour).

Store in loosely covered container between sheets of waxed paper.

Chai Birch Logs (Prep time: 55 minutes | Yields 4 dozen cookies)

Cookie:

1 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 C flour

2 T instant unsweetened tea powder (I used regular Trader Joe's Chai Tea with good results)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (substitute 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves)

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (this is an expensive but indispensable spice - don't leave it out!)

Topping:

6 oz white chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Reduce speed to low and add in egg until combined. Add all remaining cookie ingredients and beat until well mixed. Mixture will be crumbly.

Divide into 8 portions. Roll each portion into 12" ropes on a lightly floured surface. Cut ropes into 2" logs. Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 11-15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove and cool 15 minutes.

For topping, place white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Using a small offset spatula, frost tops and sides of logs; place onto waxed paper. Let stand until set (15 minutes).

Place chocolate chips and oil in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Dip fork into melted chocolate, drizzle chocolate crosswise over logs. Let stand until set (45 minutes).

Home made Mac & Cheese

2008-11-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

Oh boy was this yummy: Barefoot Contessa's Mac & Cheese. I substituted Gorgonzola dressing for crumbled blue cheese, and used ready-made breadcrumbs. Part way through our dining experience we got the idea to sprinkle a little smoked sea salt on top. HOLY moly. This rich meal was consumed with a fine red wine from Argentina I received for my birthday - it has tones of berries and plums.I regret I made no vegetables to go with this but they would have been ignored anyway. We almost hurt ourselves trying to consume seconds. Good thing I made enough for lunch tomorrow!

Rainy Day Comfort Food

2008-11-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

I LOVE risotto. It's a staple in our house and generally the first thing I look for on the dinner menu in a new restaurant. This is one of our favorites, "Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions" from my Williams-Sonoma Risotto Book. It's not a stellar recipe, but simple (okay my idea of simple might not be yours; this is a four-burner to-do). I substitute Marsala for the Madeira, and skip the leeks. I use one large hawaiian sweet onion, and I make only a half recipe which is enough for the two of us for two nights. Served with my favorite beer, Trois Pistoles (available at Trader Joe's) I'm in heaven.

Fun fooding in Austin

2008-11-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

After a fantastic home-made brunch of breakfast tacos at G & M's place, I left around noon-thirty and decided the capitol building was calling my camera out. I had taken my whole kit when I left this morning so I veered off at that exit, parked and walked around. I didn't know there was some sort of festival happening out on the lawns and I was lucky to get a parking spot for free, on a side street, in the shade, one block away. I walked directly to a tent where they had a pro kitchen set up complete with cameras, tv screens, mirrors to watch the cook, and lots of chairs. It was hot and that was shady and looked interesting so I sat down. I am so glad I did! Martha Hall Foose (someone I have never heard of) was giving a demonstration but I was more interested in hearing her stories. She was just captivating everyone with her humorous tales of the South. Really personal and very interesting stories, all connected to food. Fun! When she was finished I just had to buy the cookbook, "Screen Doors & Sweet Tea"; the recipes are right up my alley for after-work ease and they are things I *love*. I stayed and had her sign my copy too, just to complete my experience. When I got home I read the reviews on Amazon and people really love her book for all the reasons I do - she's a really fun storyteller. It's laid out well too, which is sadly not the case for my "Chocolate & Zucchini" book, hence is sits on my shelf. I'm already gobbling this one up and can't wait to get back home to my kitchen and try some of these things out!

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

2008-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at Crème Brûlée. I've never made it mostly because I'm not a huge custard eater - being non-compatible with milk and all. But I had leftover chocolate dough from the Lemon Tarts, and this was the other recipe in the book that used chocolate shells, so...

I baked the shells and I'm getting a little better with finessing the dough into the molds without overlap. I also need to use less flour when rolling them out so I don't get the little bubbles in the texture. I got to go to Surfas and buy a torch (whee! more kitchen toys!) to torch the sugary tops.

The custard came out beautifully and didn't turn into scrambled eggs (I was warned about them doing that). I enjoyed smelling the Tahitian vanilla bean as it cooked too :) I totally forgot to take the shells out of the molds before I poured the filling. Oops. Good thing I buttered the molds well; after they were set I was able to invert them and pop them right out! So far so good.

Now's when I blow it. I tried to carmelize the top and just totally screwed them up. They melted! And I didn't get a good surface. I think the heat was too low. I did it in two layers of sugars just like the directions said; one layer of sugar, melt. Then the second layer of sugar to bubble and caramelize. Nope. It took way too long and I got burn marks on my edges and unset custard underneath. We ate two anyway (they tasted fine!) and popped two back in the fridge to set overnight. Which wasn't ideal, but it worked. If anyone has any tips on caramelizing I'd be very happy to hear them.

(Recipe from "Book of Tarts" by Maury Rubin)

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie

2008-10-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

I always forget how long Chicken Pot Pie from scratch actually takes. Just chopping all the vegetables (I like them pretty and square) took me 20 minutes. I did get a roasted chicken from Whole Foods which saved me from having to do that part. I did it in 1.5 hours and since I made the full recipe it lasted us three days so I guess that's okay.

(Recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Mom's Italian Sausage Soup

2008-10-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I love cooking in my Flame Le Creuset dutch oven. It is arguably the most used piece of artillery in my kitchen! The weather was teasingly dropping into a proper fall pattern for a few days and I got all excited and made this soup from my childhood. Then we were right back into indian summer upwards of 85 degrees. Le Sigh.

Mom’s Italian Sausage Soup

1 1/2 lbs Italian mild sausage cut into 1/2” slices
2 cloves
2 large onions, chopped
1 28oz can Italian style pear tomatoes
3 14oz cans beef broth
1 1/2 C dry red wine
2 crumbled bay leaves
3 T chopped fresh parsley
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 medium zucchini chopped 1/4” thick
3 C uncooked bow-tie pasta
Garlic Bread & Parmesan cheese

Cook sausage and drain. Add in garlic and onion and stir until limp.
Add tomato & liquid and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up tomato into pieces. Add Broth, wine, and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
Add parsley, bell pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cook until tender, approximately 8 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and grated or shaved parmesan cheese.

Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells / Spinach Salad

2008-10-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight we have plans for dinner with Beeper and I'm bringing dessert and the salad. We chose Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells for dessert, so I made the dough this afternoon and baked the shells. Then I went next door and picked lemons from my neighbor's tree for the filling. Afterwards, I went to the Culver City Farmer's market and picked up spinach (the spinach in the photo is from we repeated this the following night!), walnuts, gorgonzola dressing, prosciutto, and a pear. We headed up to Simi Valley and she had made Coq au Vin and fingerling potatoes. X made French 75s while we finished the prep. I toasted the prosciutto and carmelized the walnuts. Then I prepared the lemon filling from eggs, lemon zest, sugar, and butter. That set in the shells while we ate. Well, while we stuffed ourselves! Everything was so good we all had two helpings!!

(Lemon Tarts with Chocolate Shells Recipe from "Book of Tarts" by Maury Rubin; Spinach Salad Recipe by us--see below)

Spinach Salad

Cheese Marzetti Gorgonzola Cheese Dressing (find in the refrigerated section)
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 C dried cranberries or cherries
1 bartlett pear, thinly sliced
1/4 C chopped walnuts, caramelized (see below)
2 strips toasted prosciutto (see below)
1 T brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment and lay out the prosciutto strips. Bake 10 minutes until slightly crisp. Remove and let cool, then blot with paper towel to degrease.
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper approximately 4” wide. In a small fry pan over medium heat, toast the walnuts for 1 minute. Add 1 T brown sugar and let melt for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until the sugar has melted and coated the nuts. Remove nuts to cool on the parchment. Immediately pour a cup of water into the pan and place back over medium heat, stir for 1 minute and rinse.
Place the spinach, cranberries, and pear in a bowl. Cut the prosciutto into 1” strips and add to bowl. Toss thorougly with 1 heaping tablespoon of dressing. Sprinkle caramelized walnuts on top.

Chocolate & Candied Ginger Tartlets

2008-10-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is a standby at our house. Whenever I have time to make tarts this is the first one I reach for.

(Recipe from "Chocolate & Zucchini" by Clotilde Dusoulier)

Brown Sugar-Banana Coffee Cakes

2008-09-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

I carved out a little time tonight to try out a recipe I've been saving. Did a little deep breathing and made Brown Sugar-Banana Coffee Cakes. I was very happy when they made it out of the pan in one piece. I'm all out of muffin liners so I went old-school and butter/floured the tin. Apparently that works!

(Recipe from Sunset Magazine)

Double Chocolate Cookies 99%

2008-03-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

I was getting a little burned out from sorting for the move to New York and needed to switch gears for a bit. I decided to do a little comfort baking, plus I need to use up stuff in the pantry. I whipped out the Scharffen-Berger bar I'd been saving and made Double Chocolate Cookies 99%, with a twist. Instead of finely ground coffee, I used 1 tsp of espresso we got in Vienna. Then instead of just unsweetened chocolate broken into small chunks, I used half that and half peanut butter chips. I didn't put any nuts in. Oh boy were these yummy. I will be making them again!

Thanksgiving Feast at home with a Chef

2006-11-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

Our host was chef Rodelio Aglibot, a friend of CC's. There were about 10 people for dinner at his home in Santa Monica, along with a few people who stopped by afterwards for karaoke and dessert.

Starters
-Steamed mussels
-Dungeness crab
-Albacore & cucumber salad
-Fresh farmer's market figs with goat cheese

Main Courses
-Mango mustard ham
-Kobe beef loin
-Free range turkey
-Rosemary leg of lamb
-Roasted pork shank
-Brussel sprouts with chanterelles & sweet corn
-Curry roasted cauliflower
-Cranberry stuffing
-Potatoes
-Sweet potato & yams with cinnamon béchamel
-2 kinds of gravy (turkey & brown giblet)
-Fois gras
-I baked bread my no knead with a 14 hour rise

-Champagne, wine, and Muscato from around the world.

Desserts
-Chocolate cream cheese bundt cake
-Pumpkin pie with ginger-honey whipped cream
-Blueberry pie
-chocolate pecan pie (I brought this)
-apple-cranberry-currant-blueberry cobbler (I brought this)
-chocolate bread pudding (from chef Oratzio, Akwa Resaurant)

The company was wonderful and the conversations were about food, music, and film. We began our meal by going around the table and saying what we were thankful for. Plus, we got to bring Bean! He was on his best behavior and a complete clown. He socialized with everyone, didn’t jump up and even danced with a couple who was salsa dancing. It was hilarious (he barked and jumped around on his hind legs).